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THE British bishop who questions the Holocaust has defied the
Pope's demand for him to recant his views.

Richard Williamson was told he must renounce "in an absolutely
unequivocal and public way" his claim that gas chambers were not
used to exterminate Jews in World War II before he is readmitted to
the Catholic Church.

But the cleric, who also believes between 200,000 and 300,000
rather than 6 million Jews were killed, is refusing to bow to
pressure immediately to recant his views.

In an interview with a German magazine he said that he would
have to "examine historic evidence" before rejecting his long-held
beliefs.

"It is not about emotions but about historic evidence," he said.
"If I find this evidence, I will correct myself. But that will take
time. I was convinced that my views were right on the basis of my
own research from the 1980s. But now I see that there are many
honest and intelligent people who think differently and I therefore
must look again at the historical evidence."

There was worldwide anger after the Pope lifted the
excommunication of Mr Williamson and three other bishops from the
ultra-conservative sect of the Society of Saint Pius X, last month.
In an attempt to limit the damage, Vatican officials persuaded the
81-year-old German pontiff - who said he had been previously
unaware of Mr Williamson's views - to insist that Mr Williamson
recant before he is reinstated as a Catholic cleric.

Talking to Der Spiegel, Mr Williamson added insult to
injury by also criticising the Second Vatican Council, which
revised the tenets of Catholicism during the 1960s. He said it was
an event that had led to "theological chaos".

Vatican officials have admitted that the move to rehabilitate
the four breakaway bishops was a mistake caused by loss of
governance at the centre of power.

A senior member of the curia claimed there was a lack of
consultation before the controversial decree was issued lifting the
excommunication.

His comments have added to infighting that has broken out among
the cardinals over who was ultimately responsible for the
mistake.

It has left the Pope looking increasingly isolated, with some
Vatican observers suggesting he is personally culpable for the
readmission of Mr Williamson. His decision has been attacked by
Jewish leaders and raised questions over the failure to check Mr
Williamson's anti-Semitic views, which were widely known.

The Reverend Federico Lombardi, whose Vatican office announced
the Pope's decision on January 24, said the officials who dealt
with the Society of Saint Pius X had focused on the views of the
group's leader, Bishop Bernard Fellay. "They didn't take the views
of the other bishops enough into account."